NANA CAMP DAY TWO

DAY 2 – July 17

After about three hours sleep last night I was ready to start our day. There is really no reason for not being able to sleep except I guess I was just too keyed up.

 

First thing this morning Joshua informed everyone that this was pancake morning and he was very excited because they are one of his favorite things. His other Mimi is queen of pancake making. Joshua, Marah, and Macy continually talk about how delicious she makes pancakes. I must get Debbie to teach me someday. Since I was well aware that Joshua would eat several pancakes I decided to fix him one monster pancake. He seemed very excited to get it, but a few minutes later he was in the kitchen with his monster pancake in stow asking me if toothpaste was inside the pancake. I looked at him and asked him if it tasted like toothpaste and his only response was, “not really.” I was thankful for that. He continued to tell me that he thought the girls had played a prank on him because the inside of his pancake was very gooey and tasted yuck. I guess the next time I make a monster pancake I had better make sure it is done inside.

 

I think you can see the way this morning started. The boys are all on high alert watching the girls like hawks to see if they will now be the recipients of some well deserved pranks by the girls.

 

After breakfast Noah informed me that the boys planned on being the winners of the Nana Camp Prank Award. I assured him Nana wasn’t giving any such award, but he assured me, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that the boys would be the winner if there were such a thing. He was also upset a little later in the morning because he heard a rumor that the girls were planning on waking up in the middle of the night and cutting the boys hair. I tried to calm his fears and told him that was not allowed. I am not sure I did a good job because he just knew the girls would be very clever.

 

Sweet Abbie told me this morning that she figured out why pranks had been started this Nana Camp. She said it was because skunks and possums do not get along.

 

This year I had changed around the room assignments and Grampy and I had taken down the bed in one of the bedrooms so all the girls could sleep together in one room. That left the other bedroom for the boys. I loved the idea because the den wasn’t used and every morning it was actually clean to start the day. I also gave the new room assignments new names. The boys’ room was Cabin 1 – The Skunks. The girls’ room was Cabin 2 – The Possums. The kids all noticed the change immediately when they came in the house. They had been use to The Magnolia and The Daffodil bedrooms. Change is good. Nana changes things frequently with little notice.

 

Therefore, Abbie was sure she had the answer as to why the pranks had even begun. Noah told Abbie he had decided to help the girls with their pranks on the boys because he did not want to be a skunk. I think Carter and Joshua tried to assure him they had rather be a skunk than a possum. Oh well! This too shall pass.

 

We were going to a movie this morning and then having water day for the rest of the day, but things change, and that was certainly true today. Most everyone did not want to see the special movie for today and I gave them the option of watching a movie at home or having water day all day. The unanimous vote was for water day.

 

Carter and Joshua ended up going to Cross Point for a few hours for some fun water activities there. Noah decided he needed to stay with me to make sure the girls did not try to put something in their room while the others were gone.

 

The entire day was filled with tons of fun games. The girls played on the slip and slide and filled hundreds, yes hundreds, of water balloons, while the boys were gone. (Here is a great tip for anyone that gets frustrated trying to fill those tiny balloons with water. I had bought those water things at Dollar General that you can fill with water and shoot like a water gun. They have some that are about 24 inches long. They also have some smaller ones that are about 12 inches long. I filled a baby pool with water and it was the perfect refill for their water shooter. They just put the end of the water balloon over the tip of their shooter and shot water right into the balloon in a second. It was great. I had been dreading doing all the water balloon because they can be such a pain.)

 

We played Balloon Toss, Water Balloon Smash, Sponge and Bucket Race, Footloose Relay, Splash Volleyball, Water Tag, Beach Towel Toss, Back-to-Back Balloon Dash. Quarter Run, and many more games. We also caught up on the Popsicle Towers and Disco Down. They had tons of fun at the splash pad tonight. Our stargazing activity will have to wait. It was just too cloudy outside.

 

Some games are always so much fun. Others can end up duds, and then there are those that fall in between. I like trying new things and the kids are all amazing. They do everything I want them to do even though it might not be something they are a fan of.

 

Sarah Taylor loved every minute of playing with her cousins. Later in the day when the kids were in the house and Carolyn went to check on her she said, “You can go on Mimi and leave us alone and go talk to Aunt Vicki.”

 

When I tucked them in bed tonight Carter told me he couldn’t believe all the things I had planned for them. He told me thank you and it brought tears to my eyes. That is what it is all about. I was a little concerned this year because the kids would not be able to go here and go there for extra activities. Being with them all day long by myself is actually refreshing. I enjoyed the day tremendously. They are jewels. There has not been one squabble among them, except for the pranks.

 

The girls have already prepared their prank for in the morning. Tomorrow for breakfast is cereal and the girls pulled the bags that held the cereal out of the boxes and switched the cereal inside. They are so excited. The talk among the possums is that the boys are in for it tomorrow morning. They are convinced when the boys pour their cereal into their bowl, and it is not the cereal they are expecting, the boys will be very upset and they will have gotten them back tenfold for the pranks the skunks have pulled thus far. This prank is okay with both me and Grampy. Things could get much worse.

 

My friend Judy brought over three containers full of cookies. How sweet is that! This Nana did not even have any cookies at all in the house, so this was a real treat.

 

Tomorrow night we are suppose to camp out at our friend’s house, Ronnie and Gail Roberts. Their son Robbie has loads of fun planned for the kids. Rain is in the forecast. We may be changing plans, but I am not giving up hope until I see the forecast in the morning.

 

This Nana has had a long fun day. I am looking forward to another one tomorrow. These grandkids are such a joy. I am so happy to have them here.